About Safecast

Safecast is an international, volunteer-centered organization devoted to open citizen science for the environment. After the devastating earthquake and tsunami which struck eastern Japan on March 11, 2011, and the subsequent meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, accurate and trustworthy radiation information was publicly unavailable. Safecast was formed in response, and quickly began monitoring, collecting, and openly sharing information on environmental radiation and other pollutants, growing quickly in size, scope, and geographical reach. Our mission is to provide citizens worldwide with the tools they need to inform themselves by gathering and sharing accurate environmental data in an open and participatory fashion.

Safecast has deployed an innovative model of rapid integrated development, including hardware design, software design, engineering and science, visual design and communication, and social design factors. From the start we have embraced open-source and open-data methodologies, along with new fabrication technologies, such as 3D printing, laser-cutters, and on-demand fabrication of components. We promote rapid, agile, and iterative development, and benefit from having a technically skilled pool of collaborators around the globe.

The value and credibility of Safecast data was quickly recognized in Japan and abroad, and we soon became the essential “go-to” independent source of information on radiation issues in Japan and elsewhere. Our community is inclusive and non-partisan, and includes people of all ages and from all walks of life. Energetic outreach activities allow us to share our experiences with individuals and groups worldwide through frequent workshops, talks, and educational programs.

But most importantly, Safecast has enabled people to easily monitor their own homes and environments, and to free themselves of dependence on government and other institutions for this kind of essential information. We are happy to be playing a major continuing role in the emergence of technically competent citizen science efforts worldwide.